Getting Fit

Better Health, Not Being Picked On Are Kids' Goals

May 08, 2002|By ALISON FREEHLING Daily Press

Lying on her back with her legs up in the air, Jazman James waited for her turn to kick a big white ball in a game of foot volleyball. "Keep your legs up at all times," warned Missy Rose, a physical therapist watching Jazman and 12 other kids as they batted the ball around in a circle. "If your feet touch the floor, you do three sit-ups!"

"Oh come on!" Jazman said, grabbing the backs of her thighs. "Ow!"

But Jazman, 9, didn't really mind the exercise, meant to strengthen her abdominal muscles. More than halfway through a six-week program for overweight kids and their parents, she had a new outlook on eating and exercise.

"I don't want people to call me 'fatty girl' anymore," said Jazman, who carries 150 pounds on her 4-foot-5-inch frame. "Like I can't run a mile at school and I feel left out, 'cuz other people can make it and I can't. I'm gonna be one of those ones who make it."

The program at the Hampton YMCA, called Healthy You, is run by Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. Children and their parents go to classes together, learning about healthy meals and snacks, appropriate portion sizes, exercise and self-esteem.

"We want to get parents to start thinking of obesity as something life-threatening," said Babs Benson, a nurse and weight management coordinator at CHKD. "They need to be just as passionate about fighting this as they would if their child had any other disease. And the parents have to get involved too. They can't just drop their kids off somewhere and 'fix' them."

Nationwide, about 13 percent of children and teen-agers are overweight, more than double the number two decades ago. Experts blame time spent watching television and on computers, along with large portions of high-calorie foods.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that overweight children are being hospitalized at rising rates for diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, gallbladder disease and more. Hospital costs connected to childhood obesity have more than tripled over the past 20 years, reaching $127 million a year.

CHKD started the Healthy You program last year. The classes, emphasizing health over dieting, often take a unique approach. In one session, a nutritionist dumped nearly 11 teaspoons of sugar -- the amount in one 12-ounce can of soda - - onto a table.

"That pile was almost taller than the can," said Mixona James, Jazman's mother. "I knew there was a lot of sugar in there, but that really made me understand."

Another time, parents and kids had to pour what they thought was one serving of cereal -- usually less than one cup - - into a bowl. Many were surprised to end up with four or five servings, Benson said.

Sheila Bailey of Hampton, mother of 9-year-old Chelsie, said one of the most useful tips was how to read food labels. For example, Bailey used to think that fat-free Jell-O was a great snack. "Then I found out it's loaded with sugar," she said.

Bailey and other parents say they've changed how they feed their children. They bake and broil instead of frying. They drink more water and look for healthier choices at restaurants. The last time Chelsie went to Chick-Fil-A, she ordered a charbroiled chicken salad.

"I don't need all those fried chicken things and those cheeseburgers, those double ones," said Chelsie, who is 4-foot-5 and weighs 136 pounds. "I think a lot of that fast food is a waste of time."

She watched her friend Jazman puff on an inhaler. Like many overweight children, both of the girls have asthma. "We want to feel good," Chelsie said.

Fighting obesity is critical to a child's lifetime health, Benson said. At least half of obese children over age 6 and up to 80 percent of obese teens become obese adults, at risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Overweight children struggle physically and emotionally, Benson said. She once treated a 6-year-old who weighed 110 pounds and didn't want to go to Disney World because the walking would be too tiring. She's seen an 11-year-old patient who couldn't sleep on her back because of severe breathing problems and a desperate 12-year-old who was drinking Slim- Fast.

"Some of them already have back and joint problems," Benson said. "They're dealing with things that a child shouldn't have to deal with."

Changing a child's lifestyle is much more effective than a diet, she said. Many children in Healthy You drop between 10 and 15 pounds during the class. One lost 46 pounds.

Four weeks into the program, Jazman James has dropped eight pounds. She and her mother walk together for 15 to 20 minutes a day, and Jazman snacks on rice cakes and fruit instead of potato chips.

"Me and Chelsie, we work very hard," Jazman said as the two girls jumped rope at the end of a recent class. "The other kids, they try to say we don't, but we do."

She wiped beads of sweat off her cheek.

"Pretty soon," she said, "there should be, maybe, no more picking on us."